[DJ_JonnyV]

Alright, fist time poster here, and first off, let me say you are all nuts with some of the money and setups I've seen on this site. Of course, I can't blame you all, as I have 2 surround sound systems in my house and have been a long time member of avsforum.com. I am mainly looking for a good set of phones for watching movies. My receiver, Marantz SR-5500 has Dolby Headphone built in, and I've tried a couple of times with some Sennheiser wireless RS-65s, and can definitely see the promise of Dolby Headphone. Trust me, I'd rather watch a movie on one of my systems, but ever since baby came along, this is quite limited.

I've been lurking around here for a while trying to do some searches on Dolby Headphone and have seen a lot of good information. I'm looking for something mainly geared towards movies, and music secondary. Looking to spend <$250. I am able to get anything from Sennheiser starting at the HD-600 and less for this price, but wondering if I'm limiting my options. I've heard good things about movies especially with the 595s and Dolby Headphone. Not as familiar with Beyer, AKG, etc. I do like the full cup design of Sennheisers that cover the entire ear, and find them quite comfortable. Any experiences, recommendations, thoughts, points to ponder, etc. would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Helter Skelter]

My primary movie/gaming setup is a Pioneer SE-DIR800C Dolby Headphone unit attached to a pair of Sennheiser HD595s, as a matter of fact. GREAT combo. The wireless headphones that come with the unit aren't bad, but the HD595 just has a much more balanced sound and doesn't lose anything in the positioning department.

The HD595 does very well with music, too. They're an extremely versatile set of cans.

 

[KyPeN]

If we are talking JUST movies, I would recommend the 280pros, as they are quite neutral and extend to 8hz +/- 3db, which will be great for those LOTR:FOTR ring drop scenes

 

[DJ_JonnyV]

Thanks for the feedback, guys. I would say 85% movies and 15% music would be the split. I do have a growing collection of DVD-As and SACDs that I would probably try out as well when reading mags. I'm not looking for thundering, booming, bass, but more of a controlled, tight punch bass. Similar to my NHT Evolution subs in my main system; they don't go the lowest, but they're some of the tightest on the block. Also, would you think that the headphone section on my Marantz receiver would be good enough to run some 595s? I know their regular amp section is pretty beefy from bench tests that I've seen, but headphone sections seem like more of a crapshoot. I figure since they took the time and effort to build DH in, then it should be pretty good.

 

[DJ_JonnyV]

Ok, after some further research, and scouring this forum, I'm still a little on the fence between Senn 595, 580, and Beyerdynamic DT-880. Keep in mind that I'm not sure that I can use an amp, especially the line out on my receiver (Marantz SR-5500) as I would lose the Dolby processing, and not sure what would happen if I used the headphone line to an amp. But, they DT-880s sound quite intriguing for about $230, especially for what people are describing as the bass on them (would be great for movies). However, with the no amp limitation and being able to get 595s for about $50 cheaper new and the 580s for about $75 cheaper, does it make sense to not even worry about the 880s, and just get off the pot and pull the trigger on some 595s? Also, I called Marantz about the headphone section on the receiver, and while the guy I was really nice, he didn't have much info for me. Help...